Intifada: Global Usage in Mainstream Sources

The word "intifada" (Arabic: انتفاضة) means "uprising" or "shaking off." It's used throughout the Arab-speaking world to describe popular uprisings against oppressive regimes. Below is a comprehensive list of mainstream news organizations, academic institutions, think tanks, reference sources, and policy institutions documenting its use in contexts far beyond Palestine.

This list is provided as a resource for those facing accusations that the word itself is inherently violent or antisemitic. The sources below demonstrate otherwise.

Etymology and Definition

Authoritative References

• Oxford Reference: Intifada
  "From Arabic intifāḍa 'an uprising' (literally 'a jumping up as a reaction to something')"
• Britannica: Intifada
  "In Arabic, 'intifada' means 'uprising' or 'shaking off.' It refers to popular protest movements."
• Merriam-Webster: Intifada Definition
• EBSCO Research Starters: Intifada

Iraq

Iraqi Intifada (1952)

• Britannica: "The word only acquired its revolutionary implications during the Iraqi Intifada in 1952, a series of strikes and riots protesting the monarchy"

Iraqi Shia Uprising (1991)

• Human Rights Watch: The 1991 Uprising in Iraq and Its Aftermath
• Council on Foreign Relations: Remembering the Iraqi Uprising Twenty-Five Years Ago
• PBS Frontline: Iraq — Saddam's Road to Hell

Tishreen Intifada (2019 — also known as October Revolution)

• International Crisis Group: Iraq's Tishreen Uprising: From Barricades to Ballot Box
• Wilson Center: Third Anniversary of Tishreen Protests
• Intellect Journal: The Iraqi youth October 2019 Uprising (Tishreen intifada)
• LSE Research Online: The Iraqi youth October 2019 Uprising
• Human Rights Watch: To Sleep the Law
• Project on Middle East Political Science: Patterns of Mobilization and Repression
• Al Jazeera: Thousands of Iraqis gather to mark 2019 anti-government protest

Lebanon

Independence Intifada / Cedar Revolution (2005)

• Swarthmore College Global Nonviolent Action Database
• Springer: Lebanon's Independence Intifada
• Taylor & Francis: A Critical Juncture in the 'Cedar Revolution'

Western Sahara

Zemla Intifada (1970)

• Wikipedia: Zemla Intifada

Sahrawi Intifadas (1999-2008)

• Swarthmore: First Sahrawi Intifada (1999-2004)
• Swarthmore: Second Sahrawi Intifada (2005-2008)
• International Center on Nonviolent Conflict: A Battlefield Transformed

Bahrain

Bahraini Uprising (2011)

• Al Jazeera: 10th anniversary of Bahrain uprising
• Al Jazeera: Clashes mark anniversary of Bahrain's 2011 uprising
• SAGE Journals: Bahraini uprising of 2011

Syria

Syrian Uprising (2011)

• Britannica: Syria — Uprising and Civil War
• Council on Foreign Relations: Syria's War and the Descent Into Horror

France

2005 French Riots (Banlieue Intifada)

• French Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Intifada on the housing estates by Olivier Roy
• Taylor & Francis: The French Banlieue riots of 2005
• SSRN: Urban Violence — Lessons from the Intifada and the French Banlieues

Egypt

Egyptian Revolution / Tahrir Square (2011)

• Al Jazeera: Remembering Tahrir Square, 10 years on
• Al Jazeera: Egypt 2011 — we did not know we would be documenting history
• ISA Sociology: Revolutionary Moments in Tahrir Square
• Electronic Intifada: How Palestine's uprising inspired Egypt's

Tunisia

Tunisian Revolution (2010-2011)

• Al Jazeera: Tunisian Revolution
• Al Jazeera: Mohamed Bouazizi — Was the Arab Spring worth dying for?
• George W. Bush Presidential Center: The Tunisian Revolution
• Al Jazeera: How the West hollowed out the Tunisian revolution

Morocco

February 20 Movement (2011-2012)

• Middle East Institute: Morocco's "Arab" Spring
• Transnational Institute: The February 20 Movement in Morocco
• BUALA: Social Protests in Morocco

Algeria

Black Spring / Kabylie Uprising (2001)

• International Crisis Group: Algeria — Unrest and Impasse in Kabylia
• France 24: Berbers mark 20 years since Algeria's 'Black Spring' protests
• Al Jazeera: The Kabyle Berbers and the search for peace in Algeria

Libya

Libyan Civil War (2011)

• Britannica: Libya Revolt of 2011
• Belfer Center: Lessons from Libya — How Not to Intervene
• The Fund for Peace: Libya — State Fragility 10 Years After Intervention

Yemen

Yemeni Revolution (2011-2012)

• Al Jazeera: Twelve years after Yemen uprising
• Al Jazeera: Yemen's uprising was magical, spiritual, powerful
• Britannica: Yemen Uprising of 2011–12

Jordan

Jordanian Protests (2011-2012)

• Foreign Policy Research Institute: Jordan's Protests — Arab Spring Lite?
• BESA Center: Protests in Jordan — Revisiting the Arab Spring
• Carnegie Endowment: Early Spring in Jordan
• MERIP: Resurgent Protests in Jordan

Academic, Think Tank & Media Sources

Academic Databases

• JSTOR: The Second Palestinian Intifada — A Chronicle of a People's Struggle
• SAGE Journals: Palestinian leadership and the contemporary significance of the First Intifada
• Ideology and Politics Journal: Intifada — Uprising Beyond the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
• Emory University: The Intifada — Its Impact on Israel, the Arab World, and the Superpowers

Think Tanks & Policy Institutions

• Carnegie Endowment: Palestine — A History of Nonviolence
• Carnegie Endowment: Why No Arab Spring in Palestine?
• Brookings Institution: The Arab Spring, Ten Years On
• Institute for Middle East Understanding: Explainer — The First Intifada

Media & Alternative Media

• Middle East Eye
• Radio Free: A New Intifada — Health
• Radio Free: A New Intifada — Economy
• Electronic Intifada

Books & Longer Works

• Stanford University Press: Revolution without Revolutionaries by Asef Bayat
• The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions by Marc Lynch
• The Arab Spring — Pathways of Repression and Reform
• Berghahn Books: Arab Spring — Uprisings, Powers, Interventions

Conclusion

The sources above—from the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Crisis Group, the Wilson Center, the Carnegie Endowment, Brookings Institution, Swarthmore College, the Belfer Center, Human Rights Watch, Al Jazeera, PBS, Radio Free Europe, JSTOR, SAGE Journals, Taylor & Francis, Springer, and major international news organizations—comprehensively demonstrate that "intifada" is a standard Arabic term for "uprising" used globally.

The word has been applied to uprisings in Iraq (1952, 1991, 2019), Lebanon (2005), Western Sahara (1970, 1999, 2005), Bahrain (2011), Syria (2011), France (2005), Egypt (2011), Tunisia (2010-2011), Morocco (2011), Algeria (2001), Libya (2011), Yemen (2011), and Jordan (2011).

It is not inherently violent. It is not a call to harm any group. It is a word meaning "uprising"—and citing it constitutes neither incitement nor hatred.

If you are facing accusations for using this word, these are your sources.